Entering his official visit, Ohio cornerback Bryce West already had his mind made up.
On the first night of his visit on Friday, in front of a small crowd filled with OSU staffers and other visiting recruits and their families, the No. 1 ranked prospect in Ohio declared he’d be suiting up for the scarlet and gray starting next season. It was a lifelong dream come true for West, who grew up an avid Buckeye fan.
Go Bucks https://t.co/TBLfsVITWp
— (@bryvonny) June 24, 2023
“I just felt that was the place I needed to be,” West told Eleven Warriors of his decision to commit to Ohio State. “Just all the development that’s came through Ohio State and the Glenville pipeline with all the first-rounders they’ve had, and you’ve got a DB coach like coach Walton. He’s been in the league for so many years and coached guys like Jalen Ramsey, you’d love to play for a guy like that.”
Following his announcement, the room was filled with cheers, and West felt sudden relief. It was a special moment for the Glenville product, who publicly announced his commitment the next day. His high school teammate, four-star tight end Damarion Witten, also told OSU staffers he was in the class on Friday then committed publicly Saturday a few hours after West.
“I’ve been saying that every day since I’ve been committed,” West said of still being in shock he’ll get to play for his childhood team. “It’s a great feeling, I still can’t believe it to this day.”
The commitments from both prospects essentially confirmed the once-vaunted Glenville-to-Ohio State pipeline has been restored, factoring in former Tarblooder Arvell Reese’s signing with OSU last December.
“It meant a lot to reopen the Glenville pipeline,” West said. “So many greats have come through Ohio State and so many greats have come through Glenville. When you have an opportunity, you definitely have to perform at the highest level and you definitely have to keep that Glenville pipeline going. (Damarion and I) discussing that, that was a major decision. It didn’t take us long, we always talked about going to Ohio State and we knew one day, it was going to be time to commit. We decided to do it that day so we could surprise everybody.”
With West committed, Ohio State's attention now turns to putting a full-court press on fellow in-state cornerback Aaron Scott to join him in the 2024 class. West and Scott made their official visit to Columbus together, and the Glenville product didn't let that opportunity go to waste.
He spent a good portion of his visit talking with Scott and says he will continue to recruit the Springfield prospect in hopes he picks the Buckeyes over Michigan with a decision expected within the next few weeks.
“I’m definitely recruiting him,” West said of Scott. “I’m just trying to get him there. He’s definitely an Ohio kid, so I definitely want him to play at Ohio State because he’s a great player. We can definitely bring in one of the top defensive classes in the country, because our offense is doing really well, so if we can bring in another guy like him, another guy like Miles Lockhart, another guy like Justin Scott and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, it’s gonna be a great secondary and defensive line. We already have guys like Garrett Stover and Payton Pierce committed, we can build a crazy class.”
Scott isn’t the only target West is taking an active role in peer recruiting. Shortly after his commitment, priority Ohio State five-star safety target KJ Bolden took to Twitter to congratulate West on his commitment, and the Glenville product has now turned his attention to helping OSU land the Georgia standout.
Twin thats the move https://t.co/ufN23T4LjQ
— Khalil KJBolden (@KhalilBolden2) June 24, 2023
“We actually just got in contact, I haven’t texted him yet about OSU, but I’ve definitely been in his comments trying to get him there,” West said. “He’s definitely a key factor because he’s a great safety. We’d love to have him be part of this amazing class.”
West said he’ll definitely be at Ohio State’s game against Penn State and probably a few others this fall. With his decision now made, West said he’s overjoyed to have his recruitment over with, allowing the 5-foot-11, 177-pound cornerback to focus on his senior season at Glenville.
“It’s so relieving because now I don’t have to stress out and I can lock back in on football and getting better and better without talking to all these college coaches,” West said.
When he arrives on campus next season, West knows he will face big expectations from Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton.
“He says I already know a lot and he knows I’ll put the work in because at Glenville, something coach Ginn stresses a lot is hard work,” West said. “I really feel like I can get better at technique and learning all the coverages and play them right.”
